Their Pet (MxM)

Chapter 25:

The rain would not let up, and I was kind of disappointed. While rainy days were nice, they were also sometimes gloomy. We were stuck inside, and knowing Rome and I could be on some sort of date was all I could think about.

Our first date...

The thought alone had me grinning from ear to ear. Our relationship was unpredictable. What would Gloria think? What would Julian think? Could we make this work? Did we have a future together?

It was overwhelming me, and I think everyone could see I was lost. It was strange being in love. I thought I knew it with David, but now that I look back, I think it was just desperation. The need to rely on someone. I was naive, to say the least.

I let out a long sigh and gathered the attention of Julian. The two of us were stuck home alone, since Gloria went to work and Rome was out running errands for her. He asked if I wanted to come along, but I didn't want Julian to feel lonely, so I stayed. Besides, the two of us had rarely any one-on-one interactions.

"Are you worried about something?" He asked, the concern on his face softening my heart.

"No... Not really. Just thinking."

He was content with the answer and looked back at his homework. I noticed him tapping it, which was what he did when he was stuck.

"Need help?" I offered, walking over to the table.

"Ummm.... Sure." He looked grateful as I pulled up a chair next to him.

I felt a little embarrassed when I realized that I didn't understand the math at all either. Math was never my strong suit.

My heart ached as I remember the countless hours I had spent merely listening to my tutor berate me for not understanding simple math.

"Oh! I got the answer!" Julian's voice broke me out of the strange trance.

I looked down at his paper, furrowing my brows together when I saw the answer he had wrote down. I might not understand math, but I knew that was wrong.

He smiled sheepishly and it clicked for me.

I ruffled his hair silently before standing up. He was a considerate kid, and I just knew Gloria raised him right.

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you do that sometimes?"

I paused, trying to wrap my head around his question. "Do what?" I finally asked, glancing at him.

"You stare into space. Sometimes you look scared."

I blinked, realizing what he meant.

"Oh... Well, sometimes I think about the past. Or the future. Doesn't everyone do it?"

Julian shook his head. "Mom doesn't. Or Rome. Only you."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Anyways, what do you want to eat?" I changed the subject as fast as I could.

"Anything's fine with me." He smiled, scribbling something down.

I nodded, staring into the fridge. "There's not a lot in here, so we don't have a whole lot of options. How about we ask Rome to pick up some groceries?"

I grabbed the house phone and dialed his cell phone number. I waited patiently until he picked up.

"Hello? Let me guess... Cody?"

"...no."

There was a moment of silence before I just rolled my eyes.

"Yeah okay can you pick up some stuff at the store?" I asked, leaning against the counter.